Choosing my treatment

Hi Gurneys, I wasn't given a choice either, my MO made that decision for me which I trusted fully. I had neoadjuvant chemo which is given before operating as I had an aggressive cancer, even though it was early stage it was 2.5cm, the idea of having chemo first was to shrink the lump before operating as I am not blessed with ample boobs. I had three rounds of FEC and three rounds of D ( docetaxel ). My core biopsy showed a very weak 5% receptor to progesterone but after the lump was removed it tested as triple negative which my MO had explained can happen as the core biopsy is such a small sample.

On the question of the cold cap I highly recommend you give it a try if it is on offer to you. I used it and even though my hair did thin out a bit  I just wore a hat when going out, I still had hair showing around my face so I doubt anyone would have really noticed. The other benefit is that the hair that does drop starts to grow back in a little quicker. I heard that some women complain about the cold but it never worried me, my chemo nurses always made sure the rest of me was toasty warm with an electric blanket, this was during last winter so not sure what it is like during the heat of summer. They also gave me paracetamol each time to aid against possible headache which I never suffered from. It is now just six months since I finished chemo and my hair has thickened up nicely. The only down side I can find is it adds extra time to your treatment, to be honest I usually fell asleep.

Vicki